Jeremy's Demons
by Reaper Of Sorrows
Summary: Takes place in Code Lyoko: Evolution. After Aelita's birthday disaster, Jeremy decided that he's had enough. He informs the rest of the group about his decision. How are they going to take it? Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or anything related to it.
1. Remorse

Remorse

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or anything related to it (If I would, few things would be different…)

 _Kadic Academy, Sunday morning, 7 am._ Very few people were up at this hour. Jeremy Belpois was one of them and he had his reasons. For example, putting his friends in constant danger, playing Frankenstein with their health, concerns about his nature of being overprotective and so on. Or at least that's what he thought considering the torment he put his friends through when he found the supercomputer and the virus within. But if he would've chosen not to start it, the gang wouldn't be in its current form. However, his friends had a different view of him. Sure, he is protective and does get annoyed easily, but he really cares about them and shows it through his actions (since they speak louder than words…). Because of that, they really loved spending time with him and they could easily forgive him should they end up in an argument.

Over the years they had their up and downs. Moments of triumph when they managed to counter X.A.N.A.'s attacks and at the time the most important achievement: bringing Aelita to Earth. Jeremy couldn't suppress his smirk when he recalled the events during her first night with him as he took her all around town. It didn't take long for things to turn for the worse. X.A.N.A. managed to get out of the supercomputer, destroy Lyoko and take William prisoner and use him as a weapon. Jeremy frowned when he thought about how things could've been had he listened to his friends. But when they finally managed to destroy X.A.N.A., it didn't feel like a victory. Mainly because it came with a loss of Franz Hopper. To everyone else, he was able to keep himself together but when he was sure he was at a safe distance, his walls started to crumble.

Six months later he had to fight his inner demons once again. X.A.N.A. was back. When he finally thought he could start making amends, his intelligence was needed against the rogue A.I and later Tyron. Jeremy was having enough. He was once again leading his friends towards a new set of dangers when they had gotten used to their normal lives. To their fortune, X.A.N.A. was much weaker, and William was brought back to the fight. However, there were now three geniuses at Kadic. The new girl, Laura Gauthier, was another brilliant mind capable of almost anything she set her mind to. Bringing her into the team was a questionable decision. She managed to keep herself in the group but after bringing her father into the lab and sending William alone in the Cortex, her luck ran out and she was kicked out. Finally, Jeremy's train of thought stopped at Aelita's birthday. That day was one of his worst. He fell to a trap set by X.A.N.A., Skid was destroyed, holomap and superscanner were disabled. That was topped by him disrupting the Overwing's program, causing Yumi to almost fall into Digital Sea. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Jeremy decided he had enough and left the computer lab. In the end, he put himself together and made a comeback to save the day. X.A.N.A. gained strength, but Jeremy was back in business.

Or so his friends thought at least…


	2. Clouded mind

Clouded mind

A few hours later the gang was gathered at the vending machines waiting for their Einstein to show up. Usually, he was with them waiting for Yumi to arrive. "Jeremy probably stayed up all night working since he's not here." Odd thought. It was true, usually, they would have seen Jeremy with them by now. "Should we go checking his room?" Asked Ulrich. "I don't recommend going there. He doesn't take it too fondly if we go in and see him fallen asleep on his computer. He might think that we came to lecture him about his health" Yumi pointed out. She had a good point. She was about to start a conversation when her phone rang:

"Jeremy?" Yumi asked "Yeah, it's me," He told her. "Gather everyone and meet me in my room, okay?" "Of course" She hung up. "It was Jeremy, he wanted us to meet in his room. "Did he say why?" William asked. "No, he didn't, although he didn't sound very enthusiastic" Yumi answered. "He's a regular comedian" exclaimed Odd, almost laughing. Others didn't think it was that funny but couldn't hide their grins.

They made their way to boy's dorm and knocked on Jeremy's door:

"Einstein, open up, it's us!" Odd yelled. "Come in, it's open" they heard him say. The gang was surprised by Jeremy's answer, mainly because of his tone. It was quite puzzling, not sad nor happy. They decided not to mention it, at least for now. Once everyone was in, Jeremy closed the door and began the meeting:

"The reason I wanted to walk you down a memory lane. However, before I begin, I ask you to hear me out, okay?" The gang simply nodded, even though they didn't know where this was going but they trusted him anyway. "Do you remember Marabouta or that time when I sent a specter through Odd in order to fight Yolanda?" "How could I forget, it was awesome. You guys should've seen me against her. I never felt more powerful" Odd said happily. "Yeah except you almost died" Jeremy pointed out. "As for Marabouta, Aelita almost got herself killed by my creation" Jeremy was starting to break. "To make matters worse, X.A.N.A. had to help me to beat it" "When all this happened?" William asked. "Long before we brought you in the group," Ulrich told him. "Anyway, let's move on, shall we?" "Remember that experiment where I tried to virtualize you directly into Sector 5?" "We do, Ulrich's mind and body got separated, but we fixed the damage" Yumi answered. "Correct, but do you notice one common factor among those incidents?" Jeremy asked. No one said anything, but everyone had their theories, well everyone except William who was completely clueless. After a long silence, Jeremy answered: "I experimented at the cost of your health, even mine, and was it worth it? No!

"Then there are those times when I should've listened to you all and we all would be better off. The first obstacle was my overprotective nature, especially towards you Aelita. Had I listened to you better, a lot of damage during X.A.N.A.'s attacks could've been prevented. When Aelita refused to go to Lyoko because she had the keys, I didn't listen. Instead, I only focused on getting her memories back and the result: X.A.N.A. escaped from the supercomputer. Aelita almost died because of me insisting she should go back to Lyoko. Then there were times when she wanted to find clues about her father. Back then I didn't fully understand how important it was to her, so I didn't help. I gave her pretty much every reason to grow animosity towards me. Then there were times when I burdened her with work regarding antivirus or our submarine when she found her interest in music. I vowed myself I would make sure she would never have to work with me again should she have other plans. Some of the most questionable incidents were William's possession and Lyoko's destruction. I don't know why it didn't cross my mind, but I should've devirtualized him when I had the chance. And worst of all, destroying X.A.N.A. for the first time. Had I listened to her, her father would still be here." At this point, Jeremy's anger became more visible. The gang was getting worried after hearing what Jeremy just said. "And for those reasons, I'm done. I resign, and…

"You WHAT?!" Others said in unison. Odd nearly choked on his drink. "You heard me, I resign" Jeremy repeated himself, sounding bitter. "You can't keep blaming yourself for any of this, we all made the decision to fight X.A.N.A. and bring Aelita to Earth with us." Yumi tried to reason with Jeremy but to no avail. When he made up his mind, there was almost no way to persuade him. "That's the only good thing I can think of right now, but it took too long to materialize Aelita. Only those who are in this room know how much I was beating my head against the wall with the program. All those sleepless nights and skipped meals. But in the end, it was worth it." Jeremy replied with a little chuckle. "But why, you have done so much for all of us. We wouldn't be where we are now being it not for your efforts." Ulrich began but was cut off by Jeremy. "Yeah, but without me, you all would have normal lives and wouldn't have to fight against a rogue A.I with plans to conquer the world. You're making it sound like I've done something good for you" Jeremy replied with sarcasm. "Everyone except me" echoed a weak voice across the room.

Jeremy didn't bother to think who said it as he stormed off, leaving rest of the gang to contemplate what they had witnessed. He had to get away. The only place he could think right now was the Hermitage. At least it was quiet and peaceful but brought terrible memories, same ones he tried to run away from. "I hope they aren't following me…" Jeremy never thought he would see the day when he broke in front of his friends like this. He was afraid that they would disappear from his life one way or another. Today it seemed to be because of his incompetence after Laura was kicked out. "They deserve better than this, better than me…"

I guess there's a lot of things causing him this much pain" William wondered. "We fill you in William, don't worry," Odd told him.


	3. Torment

Torment

After telling William everything from start to finish, they just sat in silence. "Doesn't he realize that he has friends like no other, those who value him as more than just a computer nerd and who stick by his side despite his qualities?" William sounded almost shocked how low Jeremy thinks of himself. "You know, there are people who care about him more than others…" Odd said grinning while pointing at Aelita. "He's right for once" Ulrich agreed while others were smiling. "Based on what you told me, I think he's facing his demons, whatever they are. But he needs to know that we don't blame him for our suffering. However, there is one thing I want to know" William pointed out. "Shoot," Aelita said. "How much pain I caused to you when I was X.A.N.A.'s prisoner? You rarely talk about the subject" "Well, Jeremy had another reason to pull all-nighters to make a program to free you and you made our battles a lot harder but enough of that. You're not our enemy anymore and you're back in the fight, this time on our side." Aelita told him.

"Any idea where Jeremy is? We haven't seen him for a while" Odd asked. "We'd better split up, Yumi and I will go to the factory, you guys check the woods and Hermitage. Those are only places I can think right now" Aelita exclaimed. "Sounds like a plan" Odd, William and Ulrich agreed. "We call you if we find him," Ulrich told the girls. They separated and went to look for Jeremy. After long hours of searching, the boys arrived at the Hermitage. "Seems no one's here," Odd said while he checked the living room for inspiration when he designs his next short film. "Guys. come over here" Ulrich called as he spotted footprints that likely belonged to Jeremy. "Do you think he went there?" William asked him. "We have no options but to go and find out," Odd told them. The trio agreed and informed the girls. "Yumi? It's Odd! We're at the Hermitage. So far nothing but we found footprints and a room we haven't visited before. How's it going on your end? Hmm, okay keep us posted." "Anything new from the girls?" William asked. "They said Jeremy has been at the factory but he's not there now" Odd answered.

 _About the same time at the factory…_

Yumi and Aelita were looking around but couldn't find Jeremy anywhere. When Yumi checked the supercomputer, she found a bunch of files created by Jeremy but no way to access them. She called Aelita and asked her to come to the computer lab. A few minutes later she arrived and Yumi showed her the problem. "Damn Jeremy is really good at making security upgrades. Whatever's in there, he really wants to keep it secret. This may take a while, Yumi" Aelita informed her. "If you want, you can leave" "Think I'll stay and keep you company. Do you mind?" Yumi asked. "Not at all, go ahead" Aelita replied.

A few hours later cracking Jeremy's security program was still in progress but Aelita's concentration wasn't fully at the program. It didn't take Yumi long to figure something was bothering Aelita. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?" She asked softly. "What bothers me is why is he bottling his feelings. We are his friends!" Aelita yelled with a voice full of sadness and anger. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to come out like that" "Don't worry, Princess. You're worried, that's understandable. We all are, but you seem to take this harder than rest of us. Do you want to tell me why? " He's never shut us out like this. Jeremy once told me about his past before attending Kadic. How all the friends he had were making fun of him for various reasons. Or how they were hanging around him, so they could take advantage of him. Before long they disappeared, leaving him all alone. I'm afraid he thinks we do the same to him because of his flaws and past mistakes. That he thinks he doesn't deserve friends like us. That's one reason why this hurts so much.

"Are you sure there aren't any other reasons? You two are very close" Yumi asked with a suggestive tone. "Yes, I'm sure" Aelita answered. She didn't want to bring up the topic Yumi was referring to. She knew Aelita had other reasons as well but decided not to push her further. After a brief silence, the supercomputer noticed an activated tower in the desert region. "Yumi, warn others while I prepare our virtualization. Cracking Jeremy's security program has to wait " Agreeing with Aelita, she pulled her phone and called Ulrich. "Ulrich and William are coming, odd decided to stay at the Hermitage in case Jeremy really is there" She informed Aelita.

About fifteen minutes later Ulrich and William arrived at the computer lab. "Any idea who the specter is representing?" William asked. "Not yet, but we have a job to do so let's get to it!" Yumi exclaimed.

 _Back at the Hermitage…_

Odd was having a tough time navigating the new area he, William and Ulrich found while looking for Jeremy. A moment later he received a message from Aelita: "Odd, we suspect there is a specter on the loose, but we don't know what it looks like so be careful" After reading the message, he heard a faint noise coming from the staircase behind him. It sounded like someone was crying. As curiosity took over, he decided to follow the sound to its source. After careful searching, he was shocked to see it was Jeremy who was curled up on the floor and crying. "Why are they still hanging around me? They should know better by now! There is no reason they should forgive me for my failures, especially Aelita! Had I been able to finish my power converter, Franz could still be alive! but I wasn't good enough and because of that, he's gone! I promised my program would destroy X.A.N.A. and they could continue their normal lives without constant worry about specters or other forms of X.A.N.A. attacks! But I failed, again. They should be angry with me! I don't understand why they are still willing to be my friends…"

"Because we all value your life and friendship as much as ours," Odd Said with a serious, yet comforting tone and startled Jeremy at the process. "How did you know I was here?" Jeremy asked. "I didn't, I just found my way here," Odd replied. "Anyway, X.A.N.A. launched an attack, no signs of specters so far. Why did you run away, if you don't mind me asking? The whole group is worried about you, especially Aelita." He asked, hoping he would get Jeremy to talk to him. "She won't be worried when she finds out my biggest failure yet, she will be angry, and I lose her along with the rest of you." Jeremy countered. "You sounded very angry when you were thinking aloud. There must be something severe that we don't know. Whether you want to talk about it or not, that's your decision. But know this: If you change your mind, you can talk to me or others. We want to help you to get over whatever it is that you're going through, but we don't know how. If it eases your mind, I won't tell anyone what we were talking about." Odd explained and decided to let him be. "Odd! Thanks for listening. I think about your offer." Jeremy called him. "Don't mention it!" Odd answered. Feeling he finally made progress, he left the Hermitage and made his way to the factory.

 _Lyoko, desert region…_

"Head for the tower, Aelita! We'll hold them off as long as we can!" Yumi yelled at her. She nodded and took off. Others tried their best to fend off X.A.N.A.'s assault but they fell one by one. First Ulrich, then Yumi and lastly William. They did, however, manage to get Aelita to the tower, so their efforts weren't completely in vain.

After Aelita was materialized, Odd showed at the computer lab. He was exhausted after running from Hermitage to the factory because someone thought it was funny to "borrow" his skateboard.

"Everything all right guys?" Odd asked the group. "Yeah, we won. Did you run into a specter?" Girls replied to him. Odd shook his head. "Any luck with Jeremy?" Aelita asked. "He's at the Hermitage, but he refuses to see anyone so please don't go there" Odd replied. "But why? I have to go see him to find out what's wrong!" Aelita countered with a little bit of anger. "And you will, but right now he needs time to think things over after a conversation I had with him" Odd stated calmly as he watched Aelita storm off towards Kadic. "Don't worry Odd, it's nothing personal. She's been under a lot of pressure since Jeremy left. She took it harder than rest of us" Yumi told him. "She really cares about him, hell she loves him. It's obvious to everyone except Jeremy. "What were you talking about with him?" William asked Odd. "Sorry, but I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone" He replied. "All right, say no more" William understood. Since no one had anything to say, the gang walked out of the factory towards the dorms. "Should we go find Aelita? She was pretty upset when she left." Ulrich wondered. "Let Yumi handle it. She'll manage to calm her down, at least I hope so. She's really hurt by Jeremy's actions. We'd better wait till tomorrow morning" Odd told him.


	4. Revelation

Revelation

 _Kadic Academy, Monday morning, 8 am._ The gang was gathered at Aelita's room, except Jeremy of course, to figure out how to handle their current situation. Jeremy was still at the Hermitage, Aelita was only genius available and others wondered why Jeremy is avoiding them. Just when Odd was starting a conversation, his phone rang. "Jeremy? Is that you? Okay, be right there." Jeremy wants to see me alone. Just me, no one else." Odd told the others. "You'd better go then. Oh, and try to knock some sense into him if you can" William told him. "I'll try my best, but no promises," Odd answered. After he left, a loud beeping sound occupied the room. "What's that sound?" Ulrich asked. Aelita went to check her laptop. "The security bypass program I set up to the supercomputer finally cracked Jeremy's private files me and Yumi found earlier." She replied. "We'd better go to the factory to see what this is about. I hate to say it aloud, but I think Jeremy is starting to break or worse unless we find a way to snap him out of his self-hatred. This can't continue much longer" Yumi suggested.

 _At the Hermitage…_

"What did you want to see me for?" Odd Asked Jeremy. "I thought about your offer. Ask me what comes to your mind and I try to answer best I can, okay?" Jeremy explained to Odd. "Okay. First thing I'd like to know is why are you avoiding us? You did some questionable things back in the day, but despite all that, you still helped us more than anyone. We're lucky to have a friend like who cares about us and puts our safety above everything. I really mean it, we all do." Odd continued. "The whole gang is worried about you. Ever since you told us you leave the gang; our team spirit has weakened." He finished and allowed Jeremy to think a response. "Main reason for my recent behavior was fear. Fear that you would hold grudge against me after the incidents, where I tried new tactics at the expense of your safety. Like your fight with Yolanda, for example." Jeremy replied. "Other is Franz Hopper." Odd was puzzled after hearing that Hopper was one reason. He couldn't figure out why. "Why him?" he asked Jeremy, hoping he would give him details. "You saw how broken she was after we lost Franz. How much worse do I have to make her feel by telling her I might have had a way to save him?" Jeremy replied. "Actually, you are hurting her right now because of your absence." Odd calmly countered. "You mentioned you might've had a way to safe Franz. Can you tell me about it?" He continued. "Before X.A.N.A. escaped, I was designing a power converter of sorts, mainly as a side project in case we would need one. But ever since its attacks became more dangerous, I never had time to finish my creation. And because of that, Hopper is dead. She lost her father, one of two people she holds dear. And for what? My incapability of multitasking!" Jeremy yelled, releasing anger he's been bottling up. "You're wrong, Jeremy. For what you told me, it seems that Franz would be here if you could've finished your converter. I'm not denying that, but Aelita's parents aren't the only ones she holds dear, you also belong in that group." Odd replied after a brief silence. "She deserves better than me. You all deserve better than a friend who plays with your health. You of all people should know that." Jeremy countered. "Before I go, there's one thing I'd like to know," Odd said. "Others are at the factory right now. They said something about a program that would crack a bunch of files you had locked away. What's in them?" Odd curiously asked. Jeremy's face went completely pale and he started twitching. "They're about to find out everything I told you! Odd, you have to go there and stop them. By any means if necessary, now go!" Jeremy told him. Without a further word, Odd darted out of the Hermitage.

 _At the factory…_

"Jeremy really is good when it comes to hiding things, but not good enough. Don't let him know I said that though, he might feel even worse." Said Aelita. Others observed her as she browsed through the folder they managed to crack, only to find his latest diary entries. A moment later Odd arrived at the lab. "What did I miss?" He asked the group. "We're just beginning to read Jeremy's latest diary entries. Maybe they help us figure out why he's acting like this." Ulrich answered him.

"Diary update, X.A.N.A.'s destruction. There's no simple way to put this, but I think we won. Although I wouldn't call it a victory at all. X.A.N.A. is gone, but the price was too high: Franz Hopper's life. I began to think would our situation have been different if we would've brought William to Lyoko with us. I could've been open to the idea but since everyone was against it, I didn't suggest it. It doesn't matter anymore. I thought about any other solutions that could've prevented this disaster. Then I decided to check my computer for any programs I created whenever I had enough spare time. I then came across my still unfinished power converter I designed as a tool should our resources be limited during missions. Because of X.A.N.A.'s growing aggressiveness, I didn't have time to finish it. But none of that matters now. Others don't have to worry about X.A.N.A. anymore and can continue their normal lives. I just hope I still have a place in them. What can I bring to the table? Nothing, except answers for Odd in mathematics. I don't want anyone to know about this entry, especially Aelita. I can't afford to lose her because of my incompetence. My previous mistakes were fixed, but this time there's no going back. I wasn't good enough and now she has to suffer the consequences. This failure is unforgivable. It did hurt a lot when she blamed me for her father's death, but I deserved it. She had every right to release her anger on me. Only thing I'm wondering is why others aren't blaming me as well. Had I been good enough, the whole group would still have reasons to be my friends. I should've known that it wouldn't last, only if I could do something to make her feel better, but I'm out of options. I sincerely hope others have a better time consoling her. She's my guardian angel, kept me together during the war, made everything worth it. All my sacrifices, just so I could give her life back. Everything without any kind of reward. Having her around was reward enough for me. And now I lose her. I'm not sure if I can hold myself together after she's gone." Jeremy finished his entry with rivers flowing from his eyes.

Everyone in the room gasped in horror. "I had no idea it was this bad." William pointed out. "Damn… He's afraid we leave from his life" Yumi said in shock. "Jeremy's broken. He's afraid I blame him for everything that has happened to me and leave him alone. But doesn't he realize that without him I wouldn't be here in the first place or have friends like you? Jeremy has been like a father to me ever since he found the supercomputer, he's put me above anything he had, sacrificed his health just to fix my problems." Aelita confessed, earning large smiles from others. "We have to go to the Hermitage. Jeremy needs us" Odd exclaimed. They all agreed and left the factory.

Few hours later the gang arrived, only to find Jeremy curled up at the corner of the room. "Jeremy, can you hear us?" Yumi asked, snapping him awake from his nightmare. "Yumi? You scared me!" Jeremy yelled, surprised to find the whole group standing before him. "Sorry. We wanted to see how you are doing." She replied. "That's not the only reason you're here now is it?" Jeremy asked with a bitter voice. "You need to forgive yourself. Without you, we wouldn't be who we are, and I wouldn't be here. Your efforts to give me life and fix my problems paid off. You saved me from my virtual prison. You are everything I could ever ask for and more. Please don't beat yourself up after what happened to my father. I don't blame you for it, none of us do. I'm sorry I blamed you for what he did, but we are lost without you, I'M LOST without you. You've suffered enough already, please come back to us!" Aelita begged. "I'd like to, but I'm not good enough for you, no one's good enough" Jeremy replied. "That's not true!" Odd countered. "Good friend doesn't consciously put others' lives at danger or leave them in it. Take Yumi, for example, she almost fell into Digital Sea because of me. Then there are you and Ulrich. Both of you nearly got vaporized with the Skid. Without Aelita, you would be dead!" Jeremy yelled. "Laura was better than me on many occasions!" Odd shrugged. "It's true that Laura were occasionally better than you. However, if a team member can't be trusted, the whole team is screwed. That's what happened with Laura. She is a prime example of solo player. And because of her, we almost lost William again." They arrived at an impasse. It seemed there was no way to convince Jeremy with words so Aelita resorted to heavier weapons. She kneeled before him and embraced him hoping she would get through to him with physical contact. At first, he resisted but it didn't take long before his walls started to crumble, and he started sobbing. He didn't think he deserved the support his friends were offering but couldn't help but feel better after their reassurances. "Thank you. You really are something else" Jeremy whispered in her ear. "Feeling's mutual" Came the equally silent reply.

"All right guys, I'll come back to the group," Jeremy told them. "REALLY?" They all asked in unison. "Yes, I do" He simply replied. "I'm sorry for the pain I put you all through, I really didn't realize I was needed that much after everything I did. Did you really mean everything you said about me, despite my failures?" Jeremy's doubts kicked in as he asked others to convince him that they really cared about him. "You're only a human. It means you will succeed and you will fail. We apologize if we gave you the impression we expected you to be something more. Ever since you left, tension in our group has grown. It's true, without you the gang will never be the same. All we ask is that you would believe in yourself and accept the fact that your value to us can't be measured." Yumi reasoned with Jeremy. For a while, he didn't say anything. "Are you ready to go, Jeremy?" Aelita asked him. "I think so" Came a cold reply. He stood up and motioned others to follow him. As soon as everyone was out, Jeremy decided to check his laptop, only to find circled red exclamation point. "Still nothing!" He said with noticeable anger. "What were you working on?" William asked. "Upgrades for your arsenal. It doesn't hurt to have every bit of edge when you go against Tyron." Jeremy replied. "Considering the emotional torment you've been through, it wouldn't hurt to take a break." Yumi offered. "I'll suppose you're right. Keep in mind though that if I can't figure out the problem, fighting his ninjas will be harder. I'd better head back to the dorms" He said before leaving towards Kadic. "Better follow him and make sure he really goes to Kadic rather than take his word for it. I hate doing this to him, but he doesn't leave us any choice." Aelita suggested. "Go after him, we'll catch up with you later. Maybe you'll be able to get inside his head better when we're not around." Ulrich replied.

Jeremy didn't get very far when he heard a voice calling him. "Jeremy, wait up!" Yelled Aelita as she caught him. "Do you mind if I keep you company?" She asked him. "Of course not, go ahead," Jeremy replied calmly. They walked in silence until they arrived at the forest. "There's still something that's bothering you isn't there?" Aelita decided to ask him after debating with herself. "What makes you say that?" Jeremy asked slightly confused, trying his best to hide his current feelings but ultimately failing at it. "It's apparent in many ways. You're awfully quiet and your breathing is heavier and faster. So, I ask you again, what's wrong?" Aelita countered. "Why do you forgive me so easily? After everything I put you through?" Jeremy asked coldly. "You lost your father because of me! He was your everything!" Jeremy replied with rage. Aelita was surprised. She never thought Jeremy would take Hopper's death this badly. "I still have you, don't I? I already told you why, back at the Hermitage. So, I tell you again; Your efforts of fixing my problems, bringing me to Earth and most importantly finding the supercomputer. Without any of those, I wouldn't know you or be here. When you told us you leave, it became harder and harder to concentrate. I even lashed out to some of our friends because I couldn't figure out why you were bottling up your feelings." She replied, hoping Jeremy would be able to move on. "You may not think very highly of yourself, but in our eyes (and especially mine), you're much more than you think. Others know the risks that come with the fight, but they can't do it without you, none of us can. We want to help you, but you must let us. I know it's going to take some time. All I ask is that you try allow us to come closer and talk to us if something bothers you." For a while, Jeremy didn't say anything. He just stood still, contemplating what he just heard. "Do they really care about me that much?" Jeremy wondered. "They care. In fact, they're hurt because of how lowly you think of yourself." Confidence told him. "They don't. If they would, they would've said so earlier. And besides, they're not here, are they?" Doubt answered to him, feeding his fears. "He's wrong. She's right next to you, isn't she? Others are probably coming to see how you're doing. All you have to do is trust them and they'll be there for you when you need them." Confidence countered. After long moment of hard thinking and painful silence, Jeremy finally spoke up. "All right. I'll try to let you in from now on." Aelita looked at him, disbelieved. Her arduous work of breaking him out of his self-loathing was finally paying off. "Really? That's wonderful!" She practically yelled with happiness. "Do you have any idea how great it is to have you back!" Jeremy didn't say anything, just grinned at her enthusiasm. "They really care…" He thought to himself as he kept watching her.

A few hours later, rest of the gang were gathered at the vending machines waiting for Jeremy and Aelita to arrive. Ulrich and Yumi were training martial arts while Odd and William were talking about his achievements as a Kadic's player. William was about to interrupt Odd when his phone rang. "Aelita? We're at the vending machines. Where are you? Really, that's great! I'll tell the others." William motioned Ulrich and Yumi to come closer. "They're coming here. Aelita managed to break Jeremy's defenses. Our Einstein is his old self again!" He happily announced. "Fantastic! How she did it?" Others said in unison. "She didn't tell, but I have a theory…" William began before he was interrupted by Aelita's voice. "There you are. How long you waited for us?" She asked. "We've been here for a few hours," William replied. "Guys…" Jeremy tried to speak but found it rather difficult for reasons unknown. As soon as they heard his voice, everyone quiet down. "I had my doubts whether you really cared about me or not, but after today's events, it became clear that I was wrong. You do care, even more, than I imagined. I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you, but whatever it is, I thank you all for tolerating me, even in times like these." Jeremy finished his train of thought. " Don't mention it. We also have to thank you." Ulrich replied. "For what exactly?" Jeremy countered. "For finding the supercomputer. Without it and you, we wouldn't have ever met each other. Our bond is like no other." Yumi replied. "I think that's something we all can agree on, even though some of us had a rough start," William added. "I think we should go and get some rest. I want to bring my A-game when we go up against X.A.N.A. and Tyron, maybe even finish your avatar upgrades tomorrow morning." Jeremy suggested enthusiastically. "That's the Jeremy we know and love, some of us more than others," Odd said suggestively while grinning at Aelita. "Jeremy has a good point. We all should get some rest." Aelita said before heading towards her room. Soon Jeremy, followed by Ulrich and Odd, headed to their respective rooms. After Jeremy closed his door, it didn't take long before sleep overwhelmed him, and he fell to his bed. For once, Jeremy fell asleep with a smile on his face.


End file.
